Gato Cigar Factory
Key West, Monroe County, Florida
Marker Inscription
The Gato Cigar Factory was constucted by Eduardo H. Gato in 1916. This Neo-Classical revival, poured- concrete structure with a large central courtyard was constructed after an earlier wood frame factory on this site burned.....
Erected by Historic Florida Keys Foundation
The Story
Eduardo H. Gato built this Key West cigar factory in 1916, replacing an earlier wood-frame factory that had burned on the same site. Its Neo-Classical Revival design and poured-concrete construction, built around a large central courtyard, reflected the booming cigar trade that made Key West a manufacturing powerhouse. Cuban immigrants and their skilled hands drove the industry that filled such factories.
Why it matters
The Gato factory embodies Key West's era as a capital of American cigar making, an industry built by Cuban immigration and central to Florida's economic history.
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Related people
- · Eduardo H. Gato
Themes & tags
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